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The Canucks captain just wants to win.
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Published Dec 04, 2025 • 2 minute read
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‘I feel like I’ve seen everything under the sun here, good and bad. You want to win and losing sucks,” he said. “Just something I’ve got to continue to get better on,’ says Quinn Hughes. Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo /Getty ImagesArticle content
Everyone plays the game to win. That’s the truth of life.
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OK, maybe not everyone, but no one is accusing Quinn Hughes of being a major league pitcher on the take. Quinn Hughes, best defenceman in Vancouver Canucks history, steps on the ice to win and that’s it.
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Which is why recent instances of him looking frustrated on ice, even missing out on plays you’d normally expect him to make, have stood out.
Asked about this on Thursday, Hughes copped to some moments getting to him.
“I feel like I’ve seen everything under the sun here, good and bad. You want to win and losing sucks,” he said. “Just something I’ve got to continue to get better on.”
It’s all very understandable. Last season did not go to play for Hughes and the team. This year has gone even worse. At least at this time last year, even with all the rumblings in the background about a split between the team’s stars, one of them even taking a personal leave, there was a sense that things could quickly turn around. They were coming off a fun and thrilling playoff run, after all.
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That is definitely not the vibe right now and everyone can appreciate why Hughes, the guy who wears the heaviest burden as the team’s captain, would feel it harder than most. Talking about losses hasn’t been easy, as we’ve seen more than once this season.
There’s little doubt he’s surrounded by people who care, who are trying to ease the burden on him. Head coach Adam Foote noted how much Filip Hronek has stepped forward over the past year. Then there’s a veteran you’d expect, like the unflappable Tyler Myers. And then there’s Brock Boeser, who Foote said has been exceptional in his efforts to keep the mood positive in light of everything.
They’re on a roller-coaster, no doubt, Myers said.
“You go through a phase where it seems to be going very well and then you go through a phase where it’s not going so well. It’s very volatile,” Myers said. “I’ve been through a lot of different situations throughout my career like this. So you just come in the next day, you make the next game your best game. It doesn’t have to be any bigger than that.”
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Foote said he has been talking a lot with his captain about how to manage the frustrations.
“Yeah, we talk about it,” the coach said.
“He wants to win so bad and he knows he can make every play. He’s still young. He’ll be the first to tell you he’s learning that when he’s tired or has had long shifts, maybe not to push it, right? The beauty is he believes he can get it done. That’s the great part about it at times.
“And, you know, he’s learning that there are times where maybe get off or don’t chance it at that moment when you’re on tired legs. But, yeah, he’s a guy that probably has shown frustration here and there. We’ve had discussions about it. And he owns his own stuff. So it’s a good question. And that’s him still growing and learning.”
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